The (In)Famous World Military Leaders Quiz

Many of history's most famous leaders fought their way to the top, shedding plenty of blood along the way. Take our quiz to see how much you know about the most reviled and revered leaders in military history.

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Question 1 of 30

What country was led by Pol Pot during the 1970s?

Thailand

Cambodia

Pol Pot and his Communist Khmer Rouge Party ruled Cambodia from 1975 to 1979.

Vietnam

Question 2 of 30

How many Cambodians died during Pol Pot's regime?

150,000

750,000

1,500,000

An estimated 1.5 million out of 7-8 million Cambodians died of starvation, disease or execution during the four short years of Pol Pot's regime.

Question 3 of 30

What year did Kim Jong Il become supreme commander of the Korean People's Army?

1991

Despite zero military experience, beloved leader Kim Jong Il became supreme commander of North Korea's army in 1991.

2001

2011

Question 4 of 30

True or false: North Korea has one of the best voter turnout rates in the entire world.

true

A staggering 99.97 percent of North Koreans came out to vote for Kim Jong Un in the 2015 election. His was the only name on the ballot.

false

Question 5 of 30

What country was ruled by Idi Amin during the 1970s?

Uganda

Idi Amin ruled Uganda during the '70s. When terrorists hijacked an Air France plane in 1976, Idi Amin welcomed them to Uganda and supplied the terrorists with weapons and supplies.

South Africa

Gabon

Question 6 of 30

How many people died under Idi Amin's regime?

30,000

300,000

An estimated 30,000 people died during Amin's regime, earning him the nickname "The Butcher of Uganda."

3,000,000

Question 7 of 30

What year did Ivan the Terrible become the first czar of Russia?

1333

1533

Ivan the Terrible served as czar of Russia from 1533 to 1584. You can probably guess from his name how that went.

1733

Question 8 of 30

What did Ivan do to the architects who built the magnificent St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow's Red Square?

gave them positions in his royal court

gave them excellent references

gouged their eyes out

In exchange for their impressive design, Ivan gouged out the eyes of the architects so that they could never design something as beautiful as St. Basil's.

Question 9 of 30

True or false: Bram Stoker's "Dracula" is based on a real military leader.

true

Modern literature experts suggest that Dracula was inspired by Vlad III, also known as Vlad Tepes, a 15th century Romanian ruler.

false

Question 10 of 30

What was Vlad's favorite method of dealing with enemies?

impaling them

Vlad liked to impale his enemies on giant sticks. After one 1462 battle, he left thousands of bodies impaled on stakes all over the battlefield.

hanging them

shooting them

Question 11 of 30

How many people died thanks to Joseph Stalin's regime?

2 million

20 million

An estimated 20 million people died due to starvation or forced labor during Stalin's regime in the early 20th century.

2 billion

Question 12 of 30

Who implemented a "Great Leap Forward" in January 1958?

Adolf Hitler

Fidel Castro

Mao Zedong

Chairman Mao came up with the Great Leap Forward, a plan to create giant community farms, which he implemented in January 1958.

Question 13 of 30

How many Chinese people starved to death thanks to the Great Leap Forward?

400,000

4,000,000

40,000,000

An estimated 40,000,000 Chinese starved to death between January 1958 and 1961 thanks to Mao's brilliant planning.

Question 14 of 30

What historical military leader was known as "Flagellum Dei" or "Scourge of God"?

Genghis Khan

Attila the Hun

Fifth century warrior Attila the Hun was so hated that he was widely known as the Scourge of God.

Hannibal Barca

Question 15 of 30

True or false: Attila the Hun murdered his own brother to gain control of the empire.

true

Attila became king of the Hun Empire after murdering his own brother in a shocking show of family dysfunction.

false

Question 16 of 30

What country did Saddam Hussein rule?

Iran

Iraq

Saddam Hussein ruled Iraq with an iron fist, spending much of his time invading neighboring countries or killing all who opposed him.

Kuwait

Question 17 of 30

What year did Fidel Castro become leader of Cuba?

1959

Castro was sworn in as prime minister of Cuba in February 1959 and ruled for nearly 50 years.

1969

1979

Question 18 of 30

True or false: U.S. forces repeatedly tried to assassinate Castro.

true

Cuban intelligence estimates that the U.S. made 638 assassination attempts on Castro using everything from guns to exploding cigars.

false

Question 19 of 30

What country was ruled by Juan Peron during the mid-20th century?

Argentina

Juan Peron was elected president of Argentina three times. While he instituted many policies to help his people, he also severely restricted media access and opportunities for all who opposed him.

Brazil

Venezuela

Question 20 of 30

True or false: Peron welcomed Nazi war criminals to Argentina after World War II.

true

Under Peron's orders, Argentina became a safe haven for Nazi war criminals hoping to escape prosecution after the war had ended.

false

Question 21 of 30

What military leader was born Temujin?

Adolf Hitler

Hannibal Barca

Genghis Khan

Temujin, which means "blacksmith," took the name Genghis Khan after he united the Mongol Empire.

Question 22 of 30

How many men living today are direct descendants of Genghis Khan?

1 in 200

An estimated 1 in 200 men are direct descendants of Khan, who considered women one of war's greatest spoils.

1 in 2,000

1 in 200,000

Question 23 of 30

What year did Hitler become chancellor of Germany?

1923

Hitler became chancellor in 1933 and ruled Germany until 1945.

1933

1943

Question 24 of 30

How many people died as a result of the Holocaust?

4 million

8 million

11 million

An estimated 11-14 million people died during the Holocaust, and Hitler's regime ultimately resulted in more than 40 million deaths.

Question 25 of 30

True or false: Two-thirds of Europe's Jewish population died during the Holocaust.

true

Six million Jewish people, or two-thirds of all Jewish citizens in Europe, died during the Holocaust.

false

Question 26 of 30

True or false: Mexican fighter Pancho Villa signed contracts with Hollywood studios to have his battles filmed.

true

Pancho Villa may have murdered countless innocent people, but that didn't stop Hollywood from signing him to a movie contract.

false

Question 27 of 30

What did military warrior Hannibal famously take across the Alps during the 3rd century B.C.E.?

tigers

elephants

Hannibal led 100,000 troops and 37 war elephants across the Alps on his way to battle in Italy.

10 tons of gold

Question 28 of 30

Who killed thousands of African children as part of his work in the Lord's Resistance Army?

Pancho Villa

Genghis Khan

Joseph Kony

Ugandan rebel Joseph Kony is responsible for the murder of at least 10,000 children and the kidnapping of another 24,000.

Question 29 of 30

How many people died during Ho Chi Minh's attempt at consolidating power in Vietnam?

50,000

500,000

An estimated half million people died during Ho Chi Minh's fight for power in Vietnam.

5,000,000

Question 30 of 30

True or false: Mussolini sent Jewish citizens in Italy to German concentration camps.

true

Italian dictator Mussolini aligned himself with Hitler during World War II and ultimately deported 7,000 Jewish citizens from Italy to die in concentration camps.